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ACA Defense Hub

ACA Defense Hub

President Trump and the GOP are using the federal budget process to continue their attacks on health care coverage for low to middle income Californians. Over the next few weeks and months, the House and Senate will debate a tax cut plan that will give the wealthy a trillion dollar tax break paid for by massive cuts to Medi-Cal, Medicare, mental, oral and preventive health care services.

CPEHN's Weekly Round Up:

Catch up with what's happening with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) including re-caps of ACA repeal efforts including federal budget and tax reform, what to expect, and actions to take. Check back for an update.

Get Involved:

Upcoming Events and Actions*:​​​

Volunteer for a phone bank if there is one in your area: Click this link: http://bit.ly/2oKzbVt to sign up!

Talk to real people about what’s at stake. Go to SEIU office near you where you will be trained to use Fight4OurHealth and SEIU’s patch-through technology to call into swing states and districts. There are phone banks set up across the state, in Northern, Central and Southern California. Find your nearest phone bank, and sign up!

CPEHN Story Collection:

Since passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), over 5 million newly eligible Californians have gained access to health coverage, a majority communities of color through Medi-Cal and Covered California. But all of these gains are now at risk.

Please share your story about how the ACA has helped your community member. Your voice matters, and it will be what helps preserve this progress.

*All events and actions are subject to change. Please contact the organizing organization for up-to-date information.

Upcoming CPEHN Legislative Visits:

CPEHN is scheduling legislative visits during the month of November. For more information contact Keerti Kanchanadam: kkanchinadam@cpehn.org.

Details on Administrative and Legislative Threats to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

Bipartisan Alexander-Murray Market-Stabilization Proposal:

On October 19, Senators Alexander (R-TN) and Murray (D-WA) introduced a bipartisan package of “stabilization” measures to support the individual and small group health insurance marketplaces. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the Alexander-Murray Stabilization package would reduce the deficit by $3.8 billion without taking away consumers’ coverage options.

GOP Hatch-Brady Proposal:

The conservative GOP Hatch-Brady proposal would fund the cost-sharing reduction (CSR) subsidy payments. But in return, it would also suspend Obamacare’s individual mandate requiring Americans to buy health insurance for five years, waive the employer mandate for two years, introduce new abortion-related restrictions on the subsidy money, and expand health savings accounts.

Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments:

On October 12th, President Trump announced the federal government will no longer be making cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments to insurers. The ACA provides two types of assistance for Covered California consumers who qualify: monthly premium support (the Advanced Premium Tax Credit or APTC) and cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) which are only available to Silver plan members and Native American/Alaska Natives. Half of Covered California enrollees receive CSRs that help to reduce on average out-of pocket expenses by more than $1,500 per household per year or more than $1,000 for an individual. Fortunately, Covered California’s Board voted to protect consumers from the President’s latest attempt to sabotage the ACA. See below for more information on these efforts:

Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP):

Congress must pass CHIP funding NOW. CHIP provides affordable kid-appropriate health coverage to nearly 9 million children nationwide, including 2 million children in California. Congress failed to fund CHIP by the Sept. 30, 2017 deadline and still can’t agree on how to pay for the successful program. Funding in many states, including California, is set to run out in December 2017. (See Action Sheet)

The CHIP policy contained in both the House and Senate bills is good policy and bipartisan. Now Congress must finish the job and pay for it in a bipartisan way that does not harm children and families. (Comparison of the House and Senate bills).

California is currently preparing its budget for FY 2019 and needs certainty about the future of CHIP with specific federal funding levels. (California snapshot)

We do not want to see the tremendous coverage gains for children over the past two decades put at risk due to Congressional delays. (Q&A on CHIP)